Campaign of the Month:
June 2012

Crimson Skies

Rituals

Both divine and arcane spellcasters in the world have developed the skill of casting rituals. Rituals, like spells, are a way of accessing and controlling powerful magic in order to manifest a specific effect. Rituals, however, tend to be more powerful than spells, and also more tricky to cast. Rituals do not come automatically to spellcasters, but rather casting rituals is a specific skill that must be taken in addition to the basic study in arcane or divine power.
Ritualists may cast as many rituals as they please. There is no specific number of rituals that they can cast per day, unlike spells. Rather they are limited by time and the availability of korba. All rituals are powered by the mysterious magical substance known as korba. This fine silvery powder allows ritualists to focus the powerful energies necessary to cast a ritual. The more powerful the ritual, the greater the amount of korba that is needed. Korba is typically stored in small packets, known as drams. A dram of korba is a carefully measured amount (2 ounces), and rituals are designed to use a certain number of drams of korba.

A ritualist must also possess the proper ritual scroll in order to cast a ritual. Ritual scrolls are magical items, and provide a detailed list of instructions for casting a ritual (they are not consumed in the casting of rituals). The casting of rituals is so complex that it is not ordinarily possible to cast a ritual from memory alone, without the benefit of the ritual scroll. Actual memorization of a ritual requires a tremendous amount of time and effort. Ritualists may memorize an arcane or divine ritual only through the expenditure of such time and effort that it costs XP. It will cost you 100 XP and require one day of study for each DC of the ritual to be memorized (for those with variable DC then use the base or minimum DC). A ritual of DC 20, therefore, will cost you 2,000 XP and and will take 20 consecutive days of effort. You must have access to the appropriate ritual scroll for this entire period of time. If this period of time is interrupted, then the XP is not lost, the ritual is not memorized, and the process must be started again from the beginning.

The casting of rituals is also limited by the danger that they pose. Unlike spells, the successful casting of rituals is not guaranteed. The more powerful the ritual the greater the chance of failure. Every ritual also poses a potential risk to both the caster and the subjects. A failed ritual may be a critical failure, in which case the ritual not only fails but the magic is released in an un- predictable way. It is not uncommon for ritual failures to cost the life of the ritualist, which is why most ritu- alists are not eager to cast powerful rituals often. Successful rituals may also be unpredictable. A ritual that is just barely successful may be flawed, in which case the effect of the ritual will be altered or there will be an unforeseen side effect. occasionally a ritual will be a critical success, in which case it succeeds beyond expectation. In such cases the power of the ritual is enhanced in some fashion, or the ritualist gains an un- foreseen boon of some type.

A ritualist may utilize the assistance of others skilled in rituals, and they may gain power from the magic of a nexus or sacred site in aiding the casting of their rituals.

For more information on casting ritual magic, refer to Chapter 10 in the Twin Crowns supplement.

Below is a list of some of the more commonly heard-of rituals, ones that most civilized people have heard of. Such rituals include the initiation ritual: connecting the newly risen acolyte with their deity’s power and granting them their spellcasting abilities.